With the Super Junior Tag League in the books, just one week later on Monday Week 1 November, New Jpaan Pro Wrestling returns with the Power Struggle iPPV.

Headlining the show is Karl Anderson challenging Giant Bernard for the IWGP Heavyweight title in a match that has been anticipated since Giant Bernard returned to New Japan in March of 2014.

Also at the top of the card, is the second defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship by Katsuyori Shibata. He has demanded the stiffest competition possible and wants to prove that he is untouchable in New Japan and he will get that opportunity against the former IWGP Heavyweight champion, The Violent Bull Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

The G1 Climax Challenge Rights will also be on the line. Having successfully defended his IWGP Tag Team Titles at the Super Junior Tag League Finals, the Rainmaker moves on to his most pressing matter, as he is one match away from stamping his ticket to the Tokyo Dome. All he has to do to guarantee his place at Wrestle Kingdom 10 is beat the one man who is left that had a chance to win their block at the G1 Climax Finals, and has received not a single opportunity for contention yet. That would be the former Co-founder of CHAOS, Toru Yano. So at Power Struggle he will get his opportunity to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the right to face the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom 10.

Sujimagun will have their hands full, on two fronts, at Power Struggle. The main force will be led by Satoshi Kojima as he will lead Kaz Hayashi, Seiya Sanada, and YAMATO into battle as they've declared war on the foreign elements in NJPW and are starting by ridding New Japan of the Bullet Club. And they will get to take a trip to the Bullet Club, taking on Machine Gun Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale, DOC Gallows and the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion, Chris Hero.

Meanwhile, Minoru Suzuki and Taiyo Kea are stamping out their own territory as they look to solidify their position as a top team heading into the World Tag League by taking on Minoru Suzuki's old rival and his newest protege.

And also featured at Power Struggle will be the first defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Titles as the fully 100% Bravado Brothers will answer the challenge of the Super Juniors Tag League winners, the WWE's Runnels & Yamamoto.

Power Struggle features the final IWGP Heavyweight Title match before we get to the Tokyo Dome and Wrestle Kingdom 10. Giant Bernard is the champ and he's looking to continue his demolition of New Japan, which has been coming along smoothly since his return to NJPW in March of 2014. But to get another chance to crush New Japan's soul at the biggest show of the year, he will have to beat the man he took the IWGP Heavyweight title from last year at Wrestle Kingdom.

And Shinsuke Nakamura has his own reasons for needing this match. But more than everything else, he needs this opportunity to wash away all of the struggles and failures of 2015. This probably has been the worst year of Nakamura's life, professionally or otherwise, and he's had to fight for his soul, and find his reason again. Now he needs this match to regain his lost honor once and for all.

Nakamura and Bernard both need this match but only one of them can get that win and take the next step to their greater glory. And they come together at Power Struggle

(2) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Title Match: (42nd Champions) The Bravados - Lance & Harlem vs. (Challengers/2015 Super Junior Tag League Winners) Cody Runnels & Naofumi Yamamoto
First DefenseI never like betting against champions, on their first defence, but WWE getting the win here adds potency to the story up at the top of the card.

(8) IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: (10th Champion) Katsuyori Shibata vs. (Challenger) Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Second DefenseYou've had your revival, Tenzan. See you next time Goober decides to make you Chono, and give you another G1.

(9) IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: (65th Champion) Giant Bernard vs. (Challenger) Shinsuke Nakamura
Second DefenseI'm more tempted to go with Nakamura than is probably expected. As much as the story of the year is about New Japan winning its soul back, this year's story is also about Nakamura winning HIS soul back. I'll play the long game, on Nakamura/Okada main eventing Wrestle Kingdom, but fuck, am I tempted to pull that trigger....

(0) Joshi Showcase: Leva Bates, Allysin Kay & Tomoka Nakagawa vs. April Lee & Canadian NINJAS - Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews
April (8:28) via Black Widow on AKMiscommunication between AK and Nakagawa cost them as April and the NINJAS are on the same page and they get the W after a water spit goes horribly wrong
Rating: B

Sexy Time With Mr. R-Rating: Chris Hero is talking to Allysin Kay and Leva Bates, trying to recruit them to the Bullet Club when Takahashi comes in and tries to recruit the ladies to his pants removal team, and he even holds up a maid's type uniform for Leva to wear as a costume. Leva is so shocked she doesn't know what to do but giggle furiously, but Allysin and Hero have dealt with this before so they run Takahashi off and carry Leva away
Rating: C+
Tiger Mask, Liger, Jado & Gedo featuring classic juniors action
Rating: B
Nakanishi, Nagata, Tenzan & Chono featuring classic heavyweight action
Rating: B+
Prince Devitt (With Hero & Fale) come out to hijack the intermission discussion and lay down a challenge to Sujimagun to meet them in the World Tag League
Rating: B
Intermission starts with the 1st Half Review: Jado, Chono, and Millano Collection AT highlight Match 4 with Makabe and Goto looking strong and their probability of teaming in the World Tag League. Then they highlight Match 5 with Sujimagun's targeting Bullet Club, Kojima and Suzuki's history as invaders in New Japan, and Devitt's resultant challenge to meet up in the World Tag League
Rating: B
The 2nd Half preview begins with Match 6, because it's Suzuki and Nagata. Do we have to explain why this is discussed?
Rating: B
The preview then goes to Match 7, with Yano's challenge to make it to the Tokyo Dome Main Event, in the most absurd possibility ever. Then they talk about Match 8, where Shibata has made it a mission of sorts, now that he's wrested the Intercontinental Title away from Galloway, to clear out the old guard that has kept guys like him from greater successes. Guys like Tenzan, who shouldn't be winning G1 Climaxes and being Heavyweight Champion, so a match like this can finally put a fossil like that asleep
Rating: B+
Preivew Main event (Bernard/Nakamura/Okada/Yano)
Bernard's attempt to keep NJPW crushed under his grip is met by Nakamura's attempt to win back his soul and go back to the Tokyo Dome. It was probably the match that had to happen before we could get back to the Tokyo Dome, but then the possibilities are discussed quickly; Bernard vs. Okada or Yano, or Nakamura vs. Okada or Yano being the possible matches we can see at the Tokyo Dome
Rating: B

(6) Special Tag Match: Sujimagun - Minoru Suzuki & Taiyo Kea (W-1) vs. Yuji Nagata & El Generico
Suzuki (9:48) via Gotch-Style Piledriver on GenericoThere was nothing Generico could do to stop this from happening
Rating: A*
(7) G1 Climax Challenge Rights Match: (Holder) Kazuchika Okada vs. (Challenger) Toru Yano
Okada (10:34) via RainmakerThis match hearkens back to their ridiculous match at the New Japan Cup 2013. Yano pulls out ALL the stops to try and steal the G1 Climax challenge rights. But all the steel chairs, and exposed turnbuckles, low blows, rollups or even fat guy dropkicks can't stop the inevitable. Okada will go to the Tokyo Dome to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title
Rating: A*
(8) IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: (10th Champion) Katsuyori Shibata vs. (Challenger) Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Second Defense
Shibata (12:02) via PKShibata is too young, too strong, and too indestructible for Tenzan to stop him
Rating: A
(9) IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: (65th Champion) Giant Bernard vs. (Challenger) Shinsuke Nakamura
Second Defense
Bernard (27:25) via shot with IWGP Title after interference from April, Drew & NaofumiBernard had to pull out every stop he had in his bag of tricks because Nakamura would not be felled, not even by the Bernard Driver. And he wore Bernard down and was able to hit 2 Boma Ye's but April Lee pulled out the ref on the pin attempt. Drew and Naofumi then hit the ring and Nakamura held them off for a time but the distraction was enough for April to get to the main table, retrieve the IWGP Heavyweight Title, get it to Bernard who blasts Nakamura between the eyes with the belt and that was enough to get the victory
Rating: A*

Kazuchika Okada & Gedo come out alone, during the winner's ceremony to make the official challenge to meet Giant Bernard at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Okada tells Bernard to just hand him the IWGP Heavyweight title now. He's come back to New Japan and he's built his legacy. Just quit now and he can still be the Gaijin Monster that he always wanted to be. But if he walks into that ring in the Tokyo Dome he will watch that legacy be torn down. Because when he walks into that ring he won't be facing a man at Tokyo Dome. He'll be facing a movement, one that is reshaping everything that New Japan is, and it doesn't matter what Bernard did before or what he destroyed because Okada's Tempest is going to take away everything and his Golden Age will reshape what's left in his image. And Gedo takes the mic and says there's no way that Bernard can be reshaped in Okada's image so he will be destroyed by The Man Who Makes Money Rain. And Gedo and Okada share a laugh as they start to leave the ring.

But Bernard stops them and tells the boy to come back here. He reminds Okada and everyone that Bernard and Okada have met 3 times and Okada hasn't come close to touching him. He can't even imagine what the Rainmaker feels like because Okada's never had a chance to use it. And he won't be able to at the Tokyo Dome either. Okada won't last 15 minutes with Bernard, unless Bernard allows it, because NOTHING in New Japan happens, unless Bernard allows it. And when he destroys the golden boy and reigns over New Japan for the second straight year there will be no question left, no arguments to make. New Japan will forever belong to Giant Bernard and the WWE. So Okada can talk as much as he wants, and he can carry around that gold belt that couldn't be more worthless to Bernard, because he controls the only things that matter. And there's nothing Okada or anyone else can do to stop that. WWE ICHIBAN~!
Rating: B

No love for Gedo and Okada making fun of Bernard being a fat, rolly-polly piece of shit?

But seriously, I'm particularly proud of how Okada is framing the fight. It's not to discount what Bernard did, but to utterly negate it as irrelevant. That takes some fucking stones.

And why don't you kids wager some guesses as to where you think Wrestle Kingdom 10 is going, at the top of the card at least. You've got a few days before I give it all away, so why not play with it in the meantime

Greg_McNeish wrote:Hash is gonna choke some bitches, when he comes back.

If he's back from injury in time for Wrestle Kingdom (which a torn bicep could heal in time), then one has to figure that his cancelled match at KOPW against Nakamura would take place at Wrestle Kingdom. Besides that, there's no way you're not having Nagata/Suzuki go another round. Could see Tenzan step in to lead a team against the rest of Sujimagun, due to the immutable law of TenCozy always being all up in each other's business, although that could be a Bullet Club fight, too, depending on how the World Tag League plays out. Speaking of which, something's up with them Tag Titles, but you're keeping that close to your chest, for the moment. I believe we've still got the fallout of Hero & Generico teaming together in the Jr Tag League to sort out, too, if memory serves. As for the IC Title, perhaps a little Goto/Shibata, to rattle some cages.

News and notes for NJPW going into the World Tag League, The Road to the Tokyo Dome and Wrestle Kingdom 10:

There are new matches ready to be announced, for Wrestle Kingdom 10 on January 4, 2016. Added to the IWGP Heavyweight Title match are title matches for both juniors belts. First is the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles which will see the champions, the Bravados, taking on a team from Sujimagun consisting of Seiya Sanada and YAMATO, on the strength of their victory during the Block Phase of the SJTL. As for the Junior Heavyweight Champion, Chris Hero will defend his title against 3 men in a 4 way, sudden death match against the challengers Cody Runnels, El Generico & KUSHIDA.

There will be a WWE vs. Tempest match that will be booked for the Tokyo Dome, the specifics of which will be determined at the conclusion of the World Tag League.

The Intercontinental Champion, Katsuyori Shibata will defend his title in a co-main event match, although he does not have a legitimate challenger to his title. As such, Shibata will have the opportunity to nominate his own challenger to face at the Tokyo Dome, which he will do during his appearance at Day 5 of the World Tag League.

Also, it has been determined that for a dark match, matters will be settled between April Lee, Allysin Kay, and Tomoka Nakagawa as the three will face off in a 3 way sudden death match.

Next up is the last step before the Tokyo Dome and Wrestle Kingdom 10: The World Tag League 2015. And there is major news going into the tournament as the holders of the IWGP Tag Team titles, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada of Tempest announce that with Okada's sole focus going into Wrestle Kingdom being his challenge of Giant Bernard and the IWGP Heavyweight title, he will not be competing in the World Tag League and as such, their team will vacate the titles, with Ibushi teaming up with his former partner in DDT, Kenny Omega as they reunite the Golden Lovers and they will strive to keep the tag titles within Tempest's hold.

It is then announced that the winner of the World Tag League will be awarded the IWGP Tag Team titles.

The next order of business is the announcement of the entry list for the tournament: